Cities in Motion: 50 Years of HR&A
In 1976, many Americans had given up on cities. HR&A was founded that year as a small California firm analyzing public budgets and grounded in the belief that cities were worth investing in. In the decades since, cities have proved the skeptics wrong, and they have kept us busier than ever.
For 50 years, HR&A has worked with clients around the country, and increasingly around the world, to improve how people experience urban life. Elected officials have turned to us for economic development strategies and planning efforts. Cities and developers have worked with us to create and preserve affordable housing. We have helped shape some of the most celebrated public spaces in the country, from the High Line and the Atlanta Beltline to Pike Place Market and the revitalization of downtown Cincinnati.
The problems cities bring us have changed with every generation. Our approach hasn’t. As an employee-owned firm of problem solvers, we ask the right questions, ground the answers in rigorous analysis, understand how decisions get made, and help our clients turn plans into impact. We know the systems that make cities work, and how quickly they can fracture. In the years ahead, we will focus on affordable housing, the impact of technology on society, building thriving places, and helping every level of government deliver for everyone.
To mark our 50th anniversary, we made a short video that tells this story through the people we work with: Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield on her administration’s first 100 days, Senthil Sankaran on the Amazon Housing Equity Fund’s investments in affordable housing, and Rosa Chang on building Gotham Park under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Not every firm makes it to 50. The ones that do never confuse what worked before with what is needed now.
Cities are always in motion. For 50 years, we’ve moved with them – and we’re just getting started.
Jeff Hébert, CEO
